Pour Faire Sauon Qui Delgresse & Oste Toute Tache Que Ce Soit

This remedy, written in the mid-16th century and published in Lyon in 1541 by the Frellon family, comes from a manual of practical secrets for home care, perfumery, and health. The text, translated from Italian into French, was part of a new wave of Renaissance publishing that blended household management, medical wisdom, and the arts of cleanliness. Recipes like these were prized for their promise to remove almost any stain or grease, long before modern detergents and stain removers existed. Such books circulated among the literate classes, especially women who managed large households. The specific recipe is not a culinary dish, but rather a sophisticated laundry and cleaning aid, hinting at the high priority placed on cleanliness and fine fabrics during the Renaissance. Its inclusion shows a world where the domestic sphere was both a place for innovation and closely guarded knowledge.

Renaissance-era households would have used a mortar and pestle for grinding solid ingredients into powder, such as the alum and orris root. A large earthenware or wooden bowl would be used to combine the powders, eggs, and soap, kneading them together by hand. The soap would be hand-shaved if not already in flakes. For use, ordinary linen cloths and buckets or basins of water were employed. Fabrics would be wrung out by hand, with vigorous rubbing between cloths as described. No modern laundromat—just practical kitchen or laundry tools within the home.